Kefir, cocoa, and vanilla sugar create a simple mug cake with a moist crumb and a pleasantly chocolatey flavor. You only need to whisk the batter in one bowl, pour it into a baking dish, and bake for about half an hour.
This dessert doesn’t require weighing ingredients, as most of them are measured using a mug or a spoon. Once cooled, finish the cake with a chocolate glaze and, if you like, a sprinkle of coconut. It’s a fuss-free treat perfect with coffee, tea, or whenever you need to whip up something sweet without a lengthy process.
What You’ll Need
For the batter:
- 3 mugs of semi-coarse flour,
- 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder,
- 2 mugs of kefir,
- 2 mugs of powdered sugar,
- 1/2 mug of oil,
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda,
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar.
For finishing:
- chocolate glaze,
- coconut to taste,
- or spread with jam and drizzle with sugar icing, then sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
The original recipe does not specify the volume of the mug used, the size of the baking dish, or the exact amount of chocolate glaze and coconut. Adjust these according to your chosen dish and how you want to finish the cake.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the oven and baking dish: Preheat the oven to 170°C. Prepare your baking dish and line it with baking paper so you can easily remove the cake after baking.
2. Measuring the ingredients: In a large bowl, measure out the semi-coarse flour, cocoa, powdered sugar, baking soda, and vanilla sugar. Use the same mug for all ingredients to keep the proportions right.
3. Adding the wet ingredients: Add two mugs of kefir and half a mug of oil to the dry ingredients. Choose a bowl large enough so you can whisk everything together comfortably without the batter spilling over.
4. Whisking the batter: Beat all the ingredients with an electric mixer until you have a smooth, unified batter. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so there are no pockets of dry ingredients left.
5. Pouring into the baking dish: Pour the prepared cocoa batter into the lined baking dish. Spread the batter so the layer is as even as possible for uniform baking.
6. Baking: Place the dish in the oven preheated to 170°C and bake the cake for about 30 minutes. Stick to the time from the original recipe, then remove the dish from the oven once baked.
7. Cooling: Let the baked cake cool completely. Don’t rush this step, as the chocolate glaze should only be added to a cooled cake.
8. Finishing and serving: Pour chocolate glaze over the cooled kefir cake. If you like, sprinkle the top with coconut, then slice and serve. If you prefer, you can spread it with currant jam and drizzle with sugar icing instead of chocolate.
How to Keep the Right Ingredient Ratios
This is a mug recipe, so there’s no need to weigh the ingredients. The key is to measure the flour, kefir, sugar, and oil with the same mug. The original recipe doesn’t specify the exact volume, so don’t try to estimate with different-sized cups.
Use a tablespoon for the cocoa and baking soda as listed. You can put all the ingredients straight into one large bowl, which keeps prep quick and cuts down on dishes.
Why Finish the Cake Only After Cooling
According to the original method, the chocolate glaze is applied only after the cake has cooled. You can leave the top just chocolatey, or add coconut to taste. The exact amount of glaze or coconut isn’t set—it depends on the size of your baking dish and how thick a layer you want.
Final Tip
You can serve the kefir cake without coconut if you want to highlight just the cocoa batter and chocolate glaze. Coconut is optional, so add it only if you like. Let the cake cool before cutting, as the original method recommends.
Enjoy!
